Water

In the Ruppiner Seenland near Rheinsberg lies the Sunday Resort Marina Wolfsbruch: a lake hotel with its own marina, combining water sports, wellness, and spacious holiday home facilities. Accommodation is directly on the shore, many houses have their boat berth right in front.

Lake Sacrow, located between Kladow and Sacrow, is the quietest swimming lake in the west: 110 hectares in a glacial channel, up to 39 meters deep, fed by groundwater and surrounded by the Königswald forest. Swimming is permitted at two tolerated natural bathing areas, including a sandy beach with shallow entry at the northern tip. No entrance fee, no infrastructure.

Lake Groß-Glienicke is one of the clearest swimming lakes in the region: 66 hectares, up to 11.2 meters deep, almost entirely fed by groundwater, with the state border running right through its waters. The Potsdam bathing area 'An der Badewiese' offers a fine sandy beach, sunbathing lawn, forest playground, and kiosk pavilion with excellent water quality.

Berlin Boat Rental is the central booking platform for renting boats in Berlin, making motorboats, party boats, rafts, and houseboats comparable across the city on the Spree and Havel. Those who want to charter a boat in the capital will find the largest selection bundled here, advised by native Berliners with 16 years of experience on the water.

A harbor village in northern Brandenburg: The Sunday Resort Hafendorf Rheinsberg is located directly on Lake Rheinsberg and combines a maritime atmosphere with an expansive lake landscape. A lighthouse, private boat dock, and 2,000 square meters of wellness facilities characterize the 4-star superior resort.

The splash pad at Nordbahnhof is located on Invalidenstraße, at the corner of Eichendorffstraße, directly opposite the S-Bahn station. Water-spouting fish, spray elements, showers, and a hand pump operate alternately, triggered by motion sensors. The used water collects in underground tanks and irrigates the park's sunbathing lawns.

Right on the Great Wannsee and at the edge of the Grunewald forest: The Wannseeterrassen in Zehlendorf is one of Berlin's most famous excursion restaurants, with lake views, a spacious terrace, and cuisine blending German and French traditions.

The Grunewald dog exercise area is the largest in the city and the only one whose boundaries you can truly see: Green wooden bollards mark where it begins. It extends from the upper hillside path north of the lakes to the railway line at the Avus. Dogs are allowed to run unleashed there all year round, but a two-meter leash rule applies to the shore paths below.

The water playground on the Blütenachse in Britzer Garten is built as a rock landscape: Water emerges from a mountain spring and flows through streams, whose course children can redirect themselves at weirs. Since 2024, a 14.5-meter-wide water labyrinth consisting of five circles with floor-level nozzles and push-button controls has been added.

In Bad Wilsnack, thermal brine bubbles up from a depth of 1,018 meters at 39 degrees Celsius and about 16 percent salt. The facility combines five brine pools ranging from 1.5 to 12 percent, a salt lake with 24 percent brine, eight themed saunas in up to 300-year-old farmhouses, and a 50-meter-long graduation tower, the first graduation facility in Brandenburg.

Pichelswerder was once an island between Havel and Stößensee and only became a peninsula with the construction of the Heerstraße. Today, hillside paths lead over an artificial dam, and at the lighthouse at the tip, the Havel view opens up. Important for dog owners: Dogs are only allowed to run off-leash south of the Heerstraße here.

Right next to the Oberbaumbrücke in Kreuzberg, this small, charming houseboat adventure on the Spree begins. Wasserkutsche stands for handcrafted wooden boats with electric motors, personal service, and the most authentic way to discover Berlin from the water.

Right on Lake Senftenberg in the Lusatian Lake District, the Wellnesshotel Seeschlößchen combines castle romance with an extensive private SPA, an Ayurveda concept, and sophisticated cuisine. The family-run four-star superior hotel in Senftenberg is Brandenburg's most charming answer to the need for true deceleration.

The Wrangelstraße playground in Kreuzberg is entirely designed as an underwater world: blue asphalt and a blue ball-catching fence represent the sea, while steps and columns symbolize a sunken temple. A whale sprays water in the mud area, and the main attractions are a Neptune's temple and a giant octopus for climbing, sliding, and swinging.

On the shore of Lake Scharmützelsee, there is no thermal bath, but a pure sauna resort: seven saunas and a steam bath, including the SATAMA Theater for up to 160 guests and the Maa-Sauna with up to 120 degrees Celsius. Founded in 2002 with five saunas, today it hosts infusion world championships and attracts around 80,000 guests annually.

Viktoriapark extends up the Kreuzberg hill, crowned by the National Monument for the Liberation Wars, designed by Karl Friedrich Schinkel. From the summit, a 24-meter-high artificial waterfall plunges through a mountainous landscape. The meadows originate from the expansion between 1913 and 1916; grilling is not permitted in the park.

Strandbad Jungfernheide is Berlin's only swimming lake with its own waterski and wakeboard cable park, plus four 50-meter lanes in the lake, a long pier, and the Strandhaus Café with a terrace. The artificially created Jungfernheide Pond is located within Erwin Barth's registered garden monument; a day ticket costs 8 Euros, reduced 6 Euros.

Moored on the Spree in the middle of Tiergarten, on the Helgoländer Ufer, the PATIO restaurant ship combines sophisticated fine dining with the unique sensation of gently swaying on the water during dinner. Three decks, a crackling fireplace in winter, an open terrace in summer: This is high-level Berlin water-restaurant culture.

Stand Up Paddling on the Havel, right in Spandau: The SUP Center Berlin on Eiswerder Island is the perfect place for anyone who wants to experience Berlin from the water in beautiful weather. Rentals, courses, yoga, and XXL boards make this spot the top choice for watersports activities in the capital.

No party train, no sash chaos: For a bachelorette party on the Finnfloat sauna raft on Müggelsee in Köpenick, the girls sweat, jump, and toast in a Scandinavian way. Wellness on the water, far away from the hustle and bustle of Berlin.

The paddling pool at Weißen See has existed since 1920 and is still in use today - making it the oldest facility on this list. Four walrus statues feed several water nozzles into a long, very shallow basin. The adjacent playground areas were newly built for 326,000 Euros, directly on the almost circular lake with its 1.3-kilometer-long promenade.

Wandlitzsee Beach is the deepest swimming lake on this list: 24.5 meters deep, 204.6 hectares of water surface, and rated excellent. The municipality of Wandlitz operates it itself, with a lift at the pier, a barrel sauna, 1- and 3-meter diving boards, and a bathing platform with a slide. Adults pay 5 Euros, children aged five and up pay 1 Euro.

On the Landwehr Canal in Kreuzberg, the restaurant ship van Loon is permanently anchored in Urbanhafen, combining maritime ambiance with fresh fish specialties and seasonal cuisine. Diners here enjoy water views, fireplace warmth, and a sun deck.

Around 70 kilometers west of Berlin, 2Wave uses its own surf cutter to generate the wave surfed here, almost 300 meters long in one stretch and lasting up to three hours over half a day. Additionally, there's foilsurfing and foil pumping via a self-built island with six launch ramps. For water sports around Berlin, this is the most unusual spot in the surrounding area.

Lietzensee Park in Charlottenburg surrounds Lake Lietzensee, with paths leading all the way around the water. Between the shore and the street are sunbathing lawns where people picnic and play ball, along with benches with lake views, a playground, and a restaurant in the old boathouse. The park is protected as a garden monument, and barbecuing is not allowed here.